colors
by champion lyra
Summary: Bohman and Hal take part in a classic human tradition. —Bohman and Hal/Haru, for Kocappu on Tumblr!


**Notes**

Written for the YGO Shipfest Secret Easter Exchange on Tumblr! This was my gift for Kocappu over there. It was a fun experience going out of my comfort zone, writing characters and relationships I don't usually think much about, but difficult, haha. It was a lot of fun though, and I'm excited to see my gift! Hope y'all enjoy anyways!

* * *

"What are you doing?"

Bohman looked up from the table, focus instantly broken. It was no matter - Hal was more important, anyways. "I'm dyeing some eggs," he said, gesturing to the various bowls of food coloring he had laid out before himself. "Would you like to join me?"

Hal didn't budge from his spot at the door, trying to keep the curiosity off of his face. It had been some time since they had been recreated in the network, and life in Cyberse was very… bland. Not to say that it was _bad_, but there was no purpose.

They had both been brought back thanks to the kindness and charity of Playmaker and his team, but Hal almost wished they hadn't been. At least before, Lightning had given him a reason to do things. Now?

Now, he supposed he was watching his _younger brother_ dye eggs for some reason. "Why?" He asked instead of answering. "What's the point?"

Bohman blinked. "The point?"

Hal almost threw his hands up in the air. Somehow, despite taller avatar being the more advanced AI, he was much harder to communicate with then Hal wanted him to be. Sometimes, it was like talking to a brick wall. Accepting the fact that he _did _care about his… brother was one thing, but that didn't mean he couldn't get irritated with him. In fact, Blue Maiden - Blue Angel again, now? - had even told him that was _normal_.

"Yes, the point."

"It's a human custom," he said, looking down at the blue and pink liquid sitting in the bowl. He didn't say anything else for a moment, and neither did Hal. It was an awkward subject for them both, still - trying to figure out where they fit in, or if they should even bother. "I heard Flame speaking to Soulburner about it."

With a sigh, Hal finally moved into the room, unsure of where to put himself. Sitting at the table felt much too casual; it was still difficult for him to interact with Bohman normally, but he was trying. Steeling himself, he sat down in the chair next to his brother, and peered at the bowls on the table.

The first thing he noticed were all the different colors. Two different shades of blue, a green, a pink, purple, and yellow sat on the table in their respective bowls; a carton of eggs next to them with some wire contraption as well. One egg in particular, it seemed, was already dyed - a simple, full blue egg.

Already, Hal was putting it together inside his head. It wasn't terribly hard to figure out, especially for an advanced AI, but leave it to Bohman to only do the basics until shown otherwise. In the back of his mind, he remembered showing him how to duel - trying not to grow frustrated, but secretly enjoying the experience.

"Let me show you," Hal said, already reaching across the table to grab an egg "You can do more than that, you know."

Bohman watched in interest as Hal dipped the egg in one color, waited a moment for it to dry, and then flipped it over to dip into a yellow, this time. Once it was dry, Hal took a closer look at it, inspecting his handiwork.

"See?" He showed the egg to his younger brother. "It doesn't have to just be one color."

Gingerly, Bohman took the egg from his brother, inspecting it closely. It was a fairly simple design - the yellow and pink met up perfectly in the middle, with no overlap. "Can you show me more?"

To both of them, the moment was familiar. Like Hal had thought earlier, it was a lot like the early days of him teaching Bohman how to properly duel with the Hydradrive deck. When he had been showing him how to duel, way back when, it had taken a lot of patience. Hal hadn't been sure what to think of his supposed _brother _at the time, and hadn't been used to interacting with anyone besides Lightning, either.

Now, though, there was nothing to worry about. The Cyberse World was a peaceful place, and there was no conflict looming in the distance. No war coming that he would have to take part in - or start. He could spend his days freely; doing whatever he wished. Sometimes, he wished it were different. It was hard, Hal thought, learning to live with no purpose and under such different conditions.

But today, he was glad for the chance. Before he had lost to Blue Maiden, he had finally begun to understand what the bond between _brothers_ really was. He was still awkward, and it was still difficult for him to spend time with Bohman sometimes, but he was trying. He was learning.

And, he supposed, as he nodded in response to Bohman's question, it was paying off.

"I can do another one." He picked up another egg from the carton, carefully dipping it into the bowl filled with purple, this time. "You can do one while I work, you know," he said, gesturing to the half full carton. "No point in just watching."

"But I enjoy watching you," Bohman replied instantly, but went for another egg nonetheless. Hal supposed he was trying, too. Maybe before, he would've refused to try until Hal had shown him everything. It was… nice, Hal thought.

They worked in silence after that, finishing up the remaining three eggs. It took much more effort than Hal would've liked to pretend that he wasn't interested in what Bohman would do with the last two eggs; watching out of the corner of his eye as he dipped the first one into three different colors, creating a nice ombre effect. Truthfully, it's about what Hal had expected - he would give Bohman the basic ideas, and his younger brother would build off of it, coming up with new and creative methods.

It was something Hal used to envy about him. Once upon a time, he had been the weakest link in Lightning's faction, despite the fact that he was the Light Ignis' original creation. Now, he found he didn't mind, as he watched Bohman work on the second egg. What was once a sense of unfulfillment and jealousy had mellowed out over the years, and he found he almost enjoyed watching his younger brother dip the very edge of the egg into the blue.

"You're smiling," Bohman pointed out as he removed the egg, careful not to touch the part that was still drying.

Hal hadn't even noticed, but as he brought a hand up to his face, he realized his brother was right. He didn't reply for a moment, trying to figure out how to word what he wanted to say. "I'm happy," he finally settled on, turning his gaze to the five finished eggs.

Bohman smiled back at him, eyes soft as he watched the smaller boy for a moment. They didn't say anything - they didn't need to. They were both content to enjoy each other's company, finally able to relax. It hadn't been very long since they'd been recreated in this world, and while Bohman was quick to adapt, Hal had been unsure. To see his older brother join him in such a mundane activity out of his own free will, and to see him enjoy himself while doing it…

It was like a weight had been lifted off of his shoulders.

"What are you two up to?" They both turned to look at the door to see the interruption. "This looks like fun!"

"Enough, Ai," Lightning maneuvered himself next to the Dark Ignis. "Leave them be. We have work to do."

"You're no fun," his companion pouted, waving goodbye to the AI brothers, who hadn't even had a chance to react. "I only said hi!"

The voices floated off down the hallway, and Hal did something completely unexpected - he laughed. It was a soft laughter, not boisterous like Ai's, and Bohman couldn't help but stare at him. He'd known him since his creation, but he couldn't recall a single time he'd seen Hal laugh so freely.

Bohman smiled at the sound. He'd been worried, about how his brother would adapt to living here with the other Ignis and how they could act around each other. He cared for him deeply - Hal _was _his older brother, after all, even if they were just AI - and didn't want to see him struggle. It had been hard not to push him, or bother him too much, but it seems his attempts at being a better brother were working well.

"Thank you for joining me," he told him after the moment had passed, moving the finished eggs carefully to the other side of the table.

Hal looked off to the side, not meeting his eyes, but Bohman didn't take offense. "You're welcome," he said after a moment, before standing up to head to the doorway.

He paused, though, looking back before he left the room. "Thank you." It was quiet, so quiet Bohman almost missed it. By the time he registered it, Hal was out the door and on his way down the hall, presumably to find something else to do.

It seemed things would be alright, after all.


End file.
